The planning process for the Bison and Elk Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was finalized with the April 2007 signing of the Record of Decision and completion of the Fianl Plan. These documents, the Final Bison and Elk Management Plan/EIS, and Federal Register notices are available for downloading by clicking the links below. The website for contacting the planning team and providing comment is no longer available.

The Final Plan/EIS, published in early February 2007, provided agency managers with clear goals and objectives for managing the Jackson bison and elk herds for the next 15 years.

The preferred alternative in the Final Plan/EIS evolved after release of the Draft Plan/EIS in 2005, and subsequent analysis of more than 11,900 written comments and public testimony from private citizens, organizations, and other agencies. Changes included clarifying desired conditions to be achieved over 15 years for the National Elk Refuge and Grand Teton National Park, and adopting an adaptive management approach for managing habitat and bison and elk populations.

Publication of the Final Plan/EIS followed an interagency review process, in which the Services worked with the U.S. Forest Service, Animal and Plan Health Inspeciton Service, Bureau of Land Management, and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to refine and revise the Draft Plan/EIS.

The Bison and Elk Management Plan (Final Plan), last in the above list of links, contains an introduction and background for the plan; a summary of the planning process, which details the evolution of the Final Plan; the alternative actions approved by the agencies; the Record of Decision; compatibility determinations; and the Biological Opinion.

Refer to the menu below to learn more about the project and related documents.

A small number of hard copies of the Final Bison and Elk MP/EIS and the Final Plan are available at the National Elk Refuge, P.O. Box 510, Jackson, WY 83001 (307-733-9212).